Trieste Science+Fiction Festival Celebrates 25th Year

Film Festival Feature by Chris Olson

It’s official: Trieste Science+Fiction Festival is celebrating its 25th birthday, and what a spectacular party it sounds like! For over two decades, this festival in Italy has been a beacon for all things fantastic and imaginative, proving year after year that science fiction is far more than just spaceships and laser guns. The best sci-fi holds a mirror up to our own world, and the line-up for October 28 to November 2 promises to be one hell of a compelling reflection.

Festival Director Alan Jones is absolutely right on the money when he says this milestone edition will "innovate, challenge, thrill, amaze and, of course, ultimately entertain." With over 50 film premieres packed into the programme, this isn’t just a festival; it’s a full-blown cinematic odyssey exploring "the wonders of the possible."

The UK's Ben Wheatley Heads the Bill

What’s caught my eye immediately is the strong British flavour in the main programming. The festival’s coup in landing the new film from the mighty Ben Wheatley is massive. His previous work—Kill List, High Rise, Sightseers—is always wickedly inventive, so hearing about his sci-fi horror Bulk is incredibly exciting. A high-octane flick "filled with car chases, gunfights, and romance"? Yes, please. Wheatley’s style of chaotic energy and black humour is perfect for a genre that can often take itself too seriously. Mark your calendars for Halloween night, October 31st, for that UK premiere.

A Galaxy of Cinematic Wonders

The opening night on October 28th is looking phenomenal. Kicking things off is the Italian premiere of L’Homme qui rétrécit (The Shrinking Man) by Jan Kounen, starring the brilliant Jean Dujardin. Richard Matheson’s classic novel is a genre touchstone, and seeing a modern, French-Belgian adaptation with a star like Dujardin fighting for survival after a "mysterious contamination" is a huge draw. I’m expecting a mix of tense psychological horror and top-drawer visual effects.

Later that same night, things get wonderfully weird with the body-horror re-imagining of Cinderella, The Ugly Stepsister. It’s this kind of bold, genre-bending choice that shows Trieste’s commitment to truly fantastic film—pushing the boundaries of what sci-fi and horror can do.

Other highlights that have piqued my interest include:

• Egghead Republic (Oct 30th): A dystopian tale imagining a world where the Cold War never ended? Sounds like the perfect kind of bleak, yet timely, alternate history drama.

• Orion (Nov 1st): From Jaco Bouwer, the director of Gaia (a great little eco-horror, that was), this intense thriller about an amnesiac astronaut promises a deep-dive into paranoia and hidden truths.

• Chien 51 (Nov 2nd): A closing-night dystopian drama set in a divided Paris investigating the murder of an AI pioneer. Modern authoritarianism and the dangers of AI—talk about hitting that nerve of contemporary relevance that good sci-fi demands!

Beyond the Screen: A World of Ideas

The festival isn’t just about the darkness and thrills, either. It’s an intellectual feast. The guests alone are enough to justify the trip. Having Ted Chiang, the genius author behind the short story that inspired Arrival, as a key guest is an absolute masterstroke. His insights on artificial intelligence and the future of humanity are essential listening right now. Plus, the president of the Asteroide Award jury is none other than Italian director Gabriele Mainetti (Freaks Out), a hugely acclaimed genre filmmaker in his own right.

All the talk of video games, comics, and literature taking place under the spectacular Sci-Fi Dome in Piazza della Borsa shows the breadth of the genre’s reach. It’s all about a shared conversation, a celebration of the creative minds who make us think about tomorrow.

Ultimately, the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival proves that genre cinema is vital. It’s a place for established masters and emerging voices to show us, through incredible futures, how to see the stark present more clearly. It sounds like an unmissable few days in Italy, offering a true galaxy of experiences. Bravo, Trieste.